Musicians + Sports: How The Fray (Barely) Survived Super Bowl XLVIII

Vocalist Isaac Slade (R) and guitarist Joe King of the rock band The Fray perform during the half time show during the AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 19, 2014 in Denver, Colorado (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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This year’s Super Bowl was a particularly bitter pill for Denver Broncos fans to swallow. The Peyton Manning-led squad was systematically dismantled by the Seattle Seahawks, reflected in the lopsided final score of 43-8.

For Denver band The Fray, it was an especially tough slog, as the members performed at the Super Bowl Kickoff Spectacular event alongside Daughtry and the Goo Goo Dolls. Not only that, but they were graced with great seats for the game, where they endured the brutal on-field shellacking of their hometown heroes up close and personally.

“We’re Denver boys,” explained the Fray’s guitarist Joe King during an exclusive interview with the band’s frontman, Isaac Slade. “We grew up watching games and wishing we could go to games…We were Row 1 on the 20 yard line, there’s not a better seat,” he added in regards to the Super Bowl. “You could jump on the field to the most soul-crushing game I’ve ever seen. I’m still proud, it was just tough to watch. I was with my fiancé next to me, and I don’t think she’s ever seen me cave in like that where I just wouldn’t talk to her. It was hard to see.”

Watch King and Slade relive every heart-wrenching moment of Super Bowl XLVIII, as well as Slade finding something inspiring about their bitter rivals, the Seahawks, in the exclusive video clip above.

The Fray is currently on tour across North America in support of the band’s most recent album, Helios, which was released in February of this year.